Rydhordel Woods is
a fun zone for low-level characters (levels 16-21 solo are recommended). It contains plenty of exp and equipment along with
interesting puzzles and a great storyline.

It was released to
the world of Medievia in September, 2001. Since that time, many adventurers have attempted to take on the challenge of defeating
the monsters that lurk inside of it and solving its numerous puzzles. Some have succeeded, but others have given up in frustration.

If you are stuck in Rydhordel
Woods and do not know where to go next, this guide is exactly what you need. It contains a step-by-step walkthrough that will
get you through every obstacle you encounter as you search for the mysterious monolith and its demonic inhabitant.

At the end of this guide,
there is an appendix with a complete list of all equipment and treasure that can be found within the zone. This list is organized
by class and alignment and should be useful for anyone who wishes to quickly find what equipment will be the most useful to
him/her. Keep in mind though that every piece of equipment tweaks differently, so the stats listed in this guide should only
be taken as a rough guide.

Outside Rydhordel Woods.

The story of Rydhordel
Woods is given in Announcement 404. It speaks of an area that was previously a popular destination for hunting and walking.
Unfortunately, an asteroid shower put an end to the area’s popularity. Recently, observers have spoken of an eerie glow
emanating from the woods and a large, metal object jutting out of the ground nearby. Several adventurers have gone to explore
the area and come up missing.

When landing on a dragon,
a player can survey and see a “Densely packed area of ancient trees.” A circular road can be seen on the map,
with three zone entrance rooms lined up in a north-south direction. When entering the southernmost of these three rooms, the
player finds himself on a path that leads north. There is not much to do here except to follow the path north, at which point
one finds oneself in front of a gigantic golden tree. Trying to look at the tree or move to a different room will instantly
result in one being teleported suddenly into a hedge maze. It is here that the real adventure begins.

Hedge Maze.

The Hedge Maze is easy
to get out of, so don’t panic. Read the room descriptions, especially in the northeastern section of the maze. There
you will find a book tied to a branch. Most of the book is illegible but there are two pages that can be read. The author
of the book explains that he is trying to escape the guards. These guards have enslaved the people and are forcing them to
dig for something. Rumors have it that they are looking for a demon who is buried deep within “the monolith”.
The author also says that there is a way to escape the forest by going through a water-filled cavern beneath “the Master’s
lair.” Looking around in the Hedge Maze, you will likely come across “Jamynie”, who is a little girl hiding
in the shadows. You may also run across the ghost of a boy who was killed by some unknown beast. There are also lots of scruffy
dogs running around in this area and slimy snakes who hide in the shadows. Here is a complete list of the mobs to be found:

There are two ways to get
out of the Hedge Maze: A secret exit in the northwest, and a normal exit in the southwest. Both exits lead to the Rydhordel
Park.

The Park.

If you come out of
the northwest exit, you will run into a large amber fountain. If you come out of the southwest exit, you will find a sign
that says “Rydhordel Park Maze”. Whichever place you end up at, you will now see that you are in a large park
that has not been in use for some time. Tall grass is growing everywhere and the whole place is in disrepair. Many of the
same mobs that were in the hedge maze are also in the park as well as new ones which have not been seen before.

In order to exit the park, simply go to the southeastern part of the area and find the sign that says “Entrance
to Rydhordel Park”. Walk down the path south of here to enter the forest.

The Forest.

This rectangular
shaped forest area stretches from east to west and is filled with evil beasts as well as good people who are trying to hunt
them. To the north and slightly west is a shadowy grove. A large, aged tree can be found in this grove as well as several
unicorns. When you first enter the forest, you will find blackberries lying on the ground. Pick them up and eat them. They’re
very tasty! To the east is a path that leads to the Game Warden’s Shack. To the southwest is a vegetable patch and a
cottage. To the far south, near the middle of the area, is a large tree trunk.

A path
to the east of the forest leads to the Game Warden’s Shack. On the way there, you are likely to run across Hamryck.
Hamryck has his foot caught in an animal trap and is in a lot of pain. “Help me!” he says to you. Unfortunately,
there is really not much you can do for him except to put him out of his misery. If you decide to steal his mace and armguards
though, make sure you cast remove curse on these items before wearing them or you will not be able to take them off! Continue
on the path east and you will go through the porch and into the shack. Climb the stairs and then go north to find the Game
Warden. You can also go down to the basement if you want but there is nothing in there. When you get to the Game Warden, he
is an emotional mess. He just can’t deal with all of these beasts running around. Be merciful and kill him quickly.
You will get some nice thief equipment as a reward for your benevolence.

To the southwest of the forest is a cottage
with a vegetable patch in its yard. A scarecrow is here as well as many crows. Inside the cottage there is a handcrafted figurine
hanging on the wall. Walk south from the figurine and you will meet Mathaelda, the Witch. She explains to you telepathically
that some guy named “Feyrlish” has gone “down in that lair” and instructs you to look for the trunk
in the forest. She will also buy potions from you or sell you potions if you need any.

To the west of the figurine is Mathaelda’s cat. How
cute. Kill it and take its collar. This item is very useful to single class warriors and thieves as it allows them to cast
word of recall without the use of potions. To the west of Mathaelda’s cat is a conservatory with a strange plant in
it.

Go back to the forest and look for a room titled “A Large
Trunk Deep in The Middle of The Forest.” Look around and you will see that there is a large hole in the trunk. Type
“enter trunk” to descend into the dank and fetid tunnels.

The Dank and Fetid Tunnels.

Now you will see that you are in an underground lair of some
sorts. This must be the place that book was talking about that you found in the hedge maze! It sure was nice of Mathaelda
to tell you how to get here, too bad you had to kill her cat. ;)

If you want to leave the tunnels and go back to the forest,
you can simply walk north from the place where you first enter the area. Otherwise, you can go west and find a small hole
in the tunnel which contains nothing, southwest where there is an intersection and two doors, or east where there is yet another
door and two guards guarding it.

There are also lots of guards running around in other places
as well as large rats that infest the area. If you look at the guards you will see that they are obviously not human as they
are covered with green scales.

Head southwest to the intersection and the two doors. The door
to the south is locked and you will have to find the key. The door to the west is open though, so take it instead. Beyond
that door, you will find the barracks.

The Barracks.

Walk a little down the hallway to the west and you will see a room off to the north. This is the Ready Room, and in
it are Dedrondra and Fyrdcher. They are both scaly green men just like the others, and they are playing a game of cards. If
you listen to them, you will learn that they are impatient with the progress of the tunnels and are wondering how long it
is going to take. Go ahead and kill them to get some cleric and mage eq.
Now go south, back into the hallway. Follow the hallway as it turns south. At the end of the hallway is a door. Open it and
go inside. This is the office of Quisenil, Master of the Guards. Quisenil is very upset with the lack of progress on the tunnels
as he says that “It could be anywhere! These tunnels will go on forever!” Kill him to get that key that you needed
as well as some thief eq.

Now go back to the dank and fetid tunnel,
back to the intersection with the two doors. Unlock the door to the south, open it, and enter the corridor of stone.

Corridor of Stone.

Follow the corridor
south until it becomes a “circular corridor of stone.” There are all kinds of monuments and suits of armor lining
the walls in this place. Some of the suits of armor seem to be magically animated as they are walking around with no one in
them. In the southeastern part of the circular corridor, there is a plaque that reads “The Giant Crystal of Duulanthiel”.
The crystal is missing. There is a slab that serves as a door to the east in the western side of the circular corridor. Unfortunately,
its locked. In order to find the key, you must find the old man who is wandering around the area. He is known as “The
Senile Conjurer” and is to blame for much of what is going on in Rydhordel Woods. If you listen to him, he will talk
about how guilty he feels for what he did. “I did not mean to help him” he says. “He held my family, he
offered me treasures. All I did was point him to where the demon was.” Punish him for his misdeeds by killing him mercilessly
and you will be rewarded with the key to that slab plus some nice eq. Now go unlock the slab on the western side of the circular
corridor. In here you will find Al’ Dreynth, the Priest. This guy is obviously the mastermind behind the operation as
his room is full of treasure and he is shuffling gold coins back and forth absent-mindedly. He starts bragging about how he’s
going to find the demon and all the world will then know his true power. Kill him and get the key to his treasure chest, along
with some evil cleric eq.

Unlock the eastern
door and go inside. You will find yourself in a chamber of rock. If you forgot to pull the lever in Al’Dreynth’s
storage room, then you will have to go back and do it before continuing on. Otherwise, you can go east from here and enter
the excavated tunnel.

The Excavated Tunnel of Rock.

This tunnel leads east
but then spreads out in many different directions. There are large green gems all over the floor here. Each one of these gems
is worth 5000 coins if sold at a shop. Hiding somewhere in the shadows in this area is Feyrlish. He is the guy that Mathaelda
told you about back in the cottage. When you find him, he whispers to you and informs you that these men have enslaved everyone
and forced them all to dig in order to find the demon. However, what is really horrifying is when you find out who exactly
these slaves are. It turns out that all of those “missing” adventurers are still down here, except that they are
undead zombies! Feyrlish has lost his mind and will probably attack you. Kill him and take his wrist shackles and old battered
waterskin, along with a large crystal. The waterskin comes with slime mold juice in it and can be used to gross out your friends
when you get bored and thirsty. The large crystal is a key, but no one in the land of Medievia has ever been able to figure
out what it unlocks. Luckily, you do not need to know what it unlocks in order to finish the zone. As you travel east in the
tunnel you will come to an intersection in which you can go south, north, or continue east. Go south and follow the tunnel
around until it ends. You will see a patch of light coming through a hole in the ceiling and shining on some marks on the
ground. Go down and you will magically pass through the floor. Here you will finally face Drenaliok, the Demon. I guess the
green scaly men just didn’t look hard enough for the demon or they would have found him as easy as you did. Kill Drenaliok
and get some really nice evil mage eq. You may even get a silvery ring of regeneration. After looting his eq, go back up and
retrace your steps till you get to the intersection in the excavated tunnel. This time, continue heading east and follow the
path until you get to the top of a steep slope. The western wall is shimmering here and you can walk through it. Doing so
takes you inside the Monolith.

You are now inside
the mysterious monolith. On the eastern wall is a door that’s unlocked. Go through it and you will end up outside. You
can’t walk out of the zone from here though as there are trees blocking the way. You’ll have to go back into the
monolith. If the door back into the monolith closes up on you, just search next to it and it will open back up. Now go to
the western wall inside the monolith. The wall here looks kind of strange, so search and you will find a secret exit. Go west
and you will find a hall with numerous plaques. The plaques tell the story of a man named Drenol. This man sacrificed his
family and his entire town in order to glimpse a realm no mortal man had stepped foot in. As a result, he became a demon.
At first, he was extremely powerful, but was eventually weakened by the aged ennui. This lead to his capture and imprisonment
in the monolith. As you walk through the hallway, you will likely be greeted by the Keeper of The Monolith. This man tells
you that the demon cannot be awakened or terrible things will happen and that you should go far away from here. Little does
he know that the demon is already ! Kill the Keeper if you want and take his flowing black robes hemmed with runic scrollwork,
or leave him be and just head west where you will find an altar.

Search in the altar and find a secret exit to the west. Inside the western room is
3,433 gold coins, and an obsidian gem worth 10,000 coins. There is a black portal in the western wall. Go west through the
portal and you will be back at the path that leads to the golden tree. Go east from here and you will be in the wilderness.
You have now completed Rydhordel Woods. Congradulations!